


Life on the Arm

by MachineryField



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: Gen, Machina-Focused, headcanon filled
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:53:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25663171
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MachineryField/pseuds/MachineryField
Summary: A young Machina, growing up on the Fallen Arm, and all that entails.(OC-Centric, Machina-Focused fic spanning pre to post-game)
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another multi-chapter from me, but this one will sporadically update as I think about my OC/the people of the Hidden Village! First chapter takes place ~650 years before the Mechon raid on Colony 9! 
> 
> Ylvex isn't a canon character or my OC, he's my boyfriend, zanthe's OC! He may be mentioned from time to time because I love that grumpy Machina so much...
> 
> While here, here's a [gallery of some Minix art I and my boyfriend have drawn up!](https://toyhou.se/7471089.minix/gallery)

Linada shared looks with Zilex and Voltak and did her best to not yell at the man who let her live in Junks as she looked at the little bundle of joy in front of her. Miqol, in all his wisdom, was a pretty stupid man. Making a child to replace the hole Egil left in his heart was already stepping across some boundaries if you asked Linada, but now leaving the one hundred year old in the care of his incredibly busy staff?

Oh, Linada had a lot of choice words she was biting back in that moment, as she nodded, concern clear on her face. It was better the three of them keep an eye out for the child than risk them wandering right out of the village or something.

“Come on, Minix.” She cooed at the little one, watching them babble back. “Let’s go upstairs.”

The baby babbled at her and she chuckled, leading them towards the door out of the room. As soon as she and Voltak were out of Miqol’s hearing range, however, she let herself sigh, shaking her head.

“We’re doctors, what does he expect us to do?” Voltak’s voice was quiet as he sighed himself. “Tend to wounds and illnesses while keeping a baby entertained?”

“I suppose so.” Linada placed a hand on her cheek, looking down at the little one. “Zilex might help out if we get too busy, though I’m starting to think Miqol doesn’t want to see Minix right now.”

What a father he was, Linada couldn’t help but scowl as she thought. Make a child to replace the one estranged from you, only to be unable to look at them because they remind you of the estranged child! He hadn’t thought ahead before making this child and now?

Now the rest of the village was going to be paying for that, not to mention the poor child. She felt bad for them, knowing they were going to be growing up under all that knowledge. But she was no mother, and wasn’t sure she could do much to help.

For now, she would just try and be a decent babysitter. The villagers had been fairly safe and healthy recently, so she even had some downtime. As they made it to the top of Junks, she pressed the button on the side of Minix’s pod and pulled them out.

Usually, she would frown upon taking a child out of their pod outside specific circumstances, especially living on the arm… but Miqol made his kids sturdy, and Minix was a needy child -- loving the feeling of being held (something they shared with Egil, Miqol had once mentioned).

“Well aren’t you precious.” She chuckled as the baby began to babble, patting her face with their little hand. “If I had to guess, you’ll really be talking by the time you’re one hundred and one!”

“A bit earlier than most children, then.” Voltak had a tired smile on his face as he glanced over at them. “I suppose that makes sense. Miqol does like to brag about how advanced his children are.”

“Indeed.” Linada chuckled a bit as she turned to her screen, Minix sitting against her hip. “Though it probably helps we’re always around the thing, it’ll be hard to  _ not  _ pick up on language surrounded by scholarly types.”

“Fair enough.” Voltak turned to his own screen. “It’s too bad there aren’t more children their age to compare them against.”

“...It’s for the best we don’t have too many children right now.” Linada shook her head. “Miqol was a fool making Minix, but we can’t exactly disassemble a baby. We simply have to work with what we have to make sure the child is raised right.”

But was that even possible, she couldn’t help but wonder. Every other child in the village had been built before the catastrophe. They had had some time to live their lives in Agniratha, to adjust to the very idea of being. They had others, around their age, to spend time with and play with…

Minix, sadly, had none of that. They were a child built after their home and culture had been left behind. A child with no clue of why they lived here, or the reason they were made. No one around their age, everyone being just a little too old to play with someone so young.

And so, while they were still in the infant stages, they stayed with the adults on Junks. Miqol had taken care of them for the most part, but now it seemed they would all have to chip in. All do their best to give Minix at least a sliver of the childhoods they had all been allowed to have.

Linada was deep in these thoughts when she heard Junks open and was greeted by a panicked Kazat, pulling along his daughter’s pod.

Linada was quick to place Minix back in their pod, close it tightly and turn to Voltak. “Get Minix out of the medical area, quickly!”

Voltak nodded, moving to guide the baby’s pod away as Linada moved to Kazat’s side, listening as he listed off symptoms his daughter was displaying. Mixik was showing signs of a contagious childhood disease Machina could get, nothing too bad, but it would have been deadly had Minix come into contact.

As she pulled Mixik from her pod and placed her on the table, starting treatment as Voltak returned to calm the worried father, she sighed. Just her luck… Miqol had to have a child and had to keep them right around where deadly diseases could reach them. Just a reason she couldn’t babysit them, not for long.

“Voltak.” She mumbled as he came to her side to assist with the treatment, Kazat calmed enough to go polish down any infected areas of his body. “We need to do something about Minix. We can’t care for them long.”

“You’re telling me…” He sighed, shaking his head. “Zilex is so buried in work, he can’t do much either. There aren’t exactly many non-busy Machina left. At least… not one’s who exceed in childcare.”

“If Ylvex was any less grumpy I would be forcing the child on him now, let me just say…” Linada shook her head. “I suppose we’ll just have to make do, but come on. Let’s hurry before Mixik’s condition gets worse.”

They could worry about what to do with the little child never meant to exist later.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter! This one features the OC of my friend, Athaerys, with permission ofc!! Kasazix is neat, I enjoyed slippin em into this. Expect more of friends' OCs if others give the okay for them to appear in later chapters (it'll always be noted if they do show up!)

“Wanna play?”

Both Mixik and Rizaka, ages seven-hundred-six and one thousand-three-hundred-fourteen, shared a look as the two-hundred year old approached them. This was normal at this point, Minix approaching the other children to ask to play, not understanding they were too young to really get along with the other kids. They never did seem to get it, no matter how often they told them no.

And here they were, having to say no once more. Hoping that this would be the time Minix finally got it and stopped bothering them. They didn’t like being mean, but… It was starting to be hard, letting them down nicely. Never really getting through to them…

But Mixik would try again, she so hated conflict that she couldn’t help but try and be soft about it. “I’m sorry, Minix, you’re too young to play with us.”

Rizaka nodded. “You won’t be able to keep up, it’s better if you play by yourself. Sorry.”

As always, this resulted in Minix frowning, and tears coming to their eyes. Mixik and Rizaka didn’t like making the little Machina cry, but they didn’t have much choice! They couldn’t exactly entertain a two-hundred year old when they were children themselves!

Minix began to cry then, and all they could do was hover there, waiting for an adult to do something. Not that the adults were much use, most of the time. They seemed to be as lost as to how to deal with Minix as the kids, sometimes!

“Come on, don’t cry…” Mixik sighed, trying to calm the child as adults just watched. “It’s okay, Minix…”

“Wanna play…!” They continued to wail, getting worse as they were talked to. “P-please?”

“No, Minix.” Rizaka wasn’t about to budge on this. “You can’t play with us.”

Their wailing became worse, louder, hard for Machina to listen to. Minix had a real talent for screaming at just the right frequencies to be painful for any Machina within earshot… And still, most of the adults didn’t move to calm the child.

Kasazix was the only one to move to open Minix’s pod and pick them up, bouncing them and cooing out words. Kasazix, one of the coolest Machina and the only one willing to do the dirty work of taking care of Minix most of the time. Mixik tried not to think about it too much, though. She was much too young to worry about that.

She was just glad Minix calmed down, their wails becoming sniffles as Kasazix continued to bounce them around. While the little Machina was busy, she and Rizaka moved away, ready to make sure Minix couldn’t ask again. They weren’t built to play with someone so little, after all! It would be up to an adult to keep them busy!

Mixik just hoped that Minix wouldn’t hold it against them when they got older. They were the youngest villager around, so it wasn’t like they would go through it themself, but… Surely they would understand as they matured, right?

That’s what Mixik was hoping, at least.


End file.
